


The Oak and the Reed

by Jazzmine



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anbu-Root, Because Tenten is awesome, F/M, Fuinjutsu, Gai is awesome as well, Team Gai - Freeform, Tenten-centric, canon-divergence, other characters will be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:21:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23790022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jazzmine/pseuds/Jazzmine
Summary: "When the fire's at my feet again, and the vultures all start circling, they're whispering 'you're out of time,' but still, I rise."Tenten didn't intend to find out about Konoha's dirtiest secrets. But she did. Her view of her village was destroyed, her faith as a Konoha ninja shaken. 'I bend but do not break' canon-divergence
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

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As I walked through the hospital, I smiled politely at the nurses, even though I didn’t feel like showing any kind of social politeness. The look of pity that _almost_ bore into my back made me angry. At them. At myself to dare to feel such a shameful feeling that sullied everything that my teammate believed in. Lee was a human being. He wasn't a... a doll, a puppet, like that psychopath tried to show by breaking every bone in his body. Lee wasn't broken! Lee didn’t need an _y pity._

Teeth clenched, I tried with all my might to repress the memories of Lee’s fight against this _monster._

Because it was what he was. A monster. I knew ninjas were sometimes cruel, I was not an idiot, even if my fight against this Suna kunoichi could have shown otherwise. But to display this level of inhumanity, to keep _crushing_ Lee’s bones when he had already, clearly lo-

I swallowed a sob. Breathed in. Breathed out. Tearducts clear of any unwelcome drops.

_I’m fine._

It wasn’t human, it _couldn’t_ be human. Why did this monster act this way? Did he want a _total_ victory? He had already _won._

Fortunately, Lee’s spirit was inexhaustible and Gai’s sensei all the more so.

I walked into Lee’s room, respectfully, trying to just remember his moments of resolve and joy.

The room was medium in size but spacious enough so that one did not feel trapped in it. A large green carpet had been placed in the chamber and the window, set right next to the bed where Lee was lying, was open and draped with a long, soft white curtain. A pleasant wind was blowing in the room.

I placed the bouquet of flowers I had bought from the Yamanaka flower shop in the flower vase.

Strength, determination and sincere friendship.

“Lee, I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

It had been three days since the preliminaries were over and he was still in that poor state.

It was unlikely he could become a ninja again. The damage looked too severe. I gritted my teeth and imagined running my weapons through this guy. How could he do that? How dare he?! To a nice boy like Lee?! There was no one nicer than him!

Taking a deep breath, I tried to lock my memories of this.

I knew that Gai-sensei was trying to put on a brave face. Even _Neji_ was shocked.

I put my hand on his forehead, lightly.

“Please, get well soon. Gaï-sensei is worried to death and even your _rival_ is looking for your recovery.”

I looked up to look at the tree outside.

“It's already been three days. I've lost too. Our situations are not comparable but know that I'm more determined than ever. I've lost in such a stupid way. I always tell you to temper yourself a little, but I should carve every word before I let it fall.”

I sighed, before rubbing my face.

“I’ll try to be less...hot-headed and keep my cool. I was so excited...I’ve never told you any of this, guys, but I was very excited to participate in the chûnin exams. It was like a milestone in my life, you know? I had...not a dream, per se, a goal maybe, _within_ _my reach_ and I haven’t been able to grasp it because of my stupidity. But, it’s okay, there are other opportunities.”

I was lying. It was _not_ okay. I wasn’t saying how upset I was really about it.

“I would have like to lose in a more dignified way, though.”

I gritted my teeth.

“I know you need positivity above all in this dreadful situation, but Lee, please, do not let this monster _win_. Recover soon and be as mentally strong and determined as ever. You’re _not_ beyond hope as a ninja.”

I left him, endeavoring to trust my own words. Lee couldn’t lose his chance to be a ninja.

It could destroy him.

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We were at Team Gai's favorite training ground. Gai-sensei had decided to start our training three days after the preliminaries so that I could get my strength back. I had recovered, even if I was still in a little pain, but it was more than bearable.

Gai-sensei was as flashy as usual. His green jumpsuit was hurting my eyes but I was used to it, though it was a bit hard sometimes. He stood so proud and glowing with an amazing cheerfulness that after the first shock, it was Gai-sensei's personality that stood out the most. His thick, glossy black hair sent dark brown reflections under the sun, while his smile was as bright as the latter.

Neji was silent, his face as neutral as usual. His long brown hair shone in the sun that was radiant today. He had _better_ hair than _me_ , it always made me laugh. But I admired him all the more. Neji was really powerful and he could afford to fight with long, loose hair because no one could hold it on him.

He sometimes pissed me off, his arrogance getting on my nerves, but his genius was unquestionable. Lee was the exact opposite, but his determination was the equal of Neji's genius.

_I really felt like shit, though. And not only because of Lee’s condition._

It all started when I lost against this Suna Kunoïchi.

I was frustrated because I trained and trained and _trained._ I couldn’t lose… _like that._ But my temper had had the better of me, and like a brat, I throw at her my last parchment of weapons. As if it would work against her wind!

I was an idiot.

I should have been able to control my frustration and to just…think. A kunoichi was not an idiot who threw herself at her enemies without a moment's thought. I knew it was her wind that kept my precious weapons from touching her, and yet I persisted.

I sighed, weary.

Even Gai-sensei's eagerness could not dislodge me from my bad mood. First of all, my teammate was in a coma - and I’ll not mention him, Gai-sensei is trying to put on a brave face and I don’t want to overwhelm him with my negativity.

And, on top of that, I had lost so stupidly that I could only blame myself. With clenched teeth, I took a scroll out of my pocket, unrolling it at breakneck speed, without even thinking about it. I had trained so hard to get to this level. How many times had I come home at first light when I was supposed to be at the academy in less than two hours? How many times did I have to go and do a few menial jobs to be able to afford a set of kunai and shuriken?

I didn't have parents but I had been able to take care of myself. I was proud of how far I had come and I was this close to becoming a chûnin, someone with a name in the village, a status. Not just an uninteresting orphan.

I knew I was nothing special. I was so awed when I first learned about Kekkei Genkai. When I saw Neji fighting for the first time. I come a long way.

“Tenten! Why are you so angry?!”

Gai-sensei tilted his head, confused while Neji looked at me without saying anything.

“It’s…”

I took the two Jyo that came out of my parchment.

“...nothing, Gai-sensei! Now, Neji, fight me!”

Gai’s sensei laughter was powerful and proud. “That’s it, Tenten! Fight with all the power of youth!”

That was what I intended to do!

Neji unfolded his arms and walked towards me.

“As you wish.”

His eyes bore into mine. Undisturbed. Ruthless.

Neji was selected to fight against Uzumaki Naruto. From what I had seen during the preliminary match, my teammate would win easily. No matter what progress he would make during this month, it will be of no use against Neji. He was already far ahead of him in terms of skills, the gap between both of them was just too huge.

That left only Uchiha Sasuke and...Sabaku no Gaara. I wasn't really worried about the former. Although talented, he was no match for Neji, I was sure of that. _Though,_ I thought while swirling both of my Jyo, _the Uchiha could indeed progress._ That was far from impossible.

But as far as Sabaku no Gaara was concerned... that was clearly a whole different story. He was a _monster_. If he dared to touch Neji...if he dared to just hurt him like he had hurt Lee, I would do something very stupid, but I wouldn’t stand idly by. 

Launching at Neji, I moved my baton at him, not holding any of my blows. Aiming at his solar plexus, I withdrew my baton as quickly as possible when he deflected it with a vigorous blow from the palm of his hand. He was using chakra, and I had long since learned how to keep my weapons untouched by his moves. I had lost half of them because of that.

With a quick sequence of steps, I tried to hit him with my second Jyo, swirling the other one, trying to find a dead angle. Without any warning, Neji bent down, sending his foot to throw me off balance, while brutally lowering his hand towards my ribs.

My body moved on its own, I hadn’t even needed to _think_ about dodging. Gaï-sensei was a great teacher. He had trained us so that our bodies respond alone to threats.

I found myself a few meters away from Neji, having thrown my Jyo in his face, knowing full well that he would have no trouble destroying it.

When he did, I substituted myself with the wood of my baton. I needed to think a little bit during my fights and not go headlong into battle. I wasn't a hothead, but she had really pissed me off, this kunoichi of Suna...

_Learn to use your head more, Tenten!_

Leaning on my dominant leg and planting my baton on the ground, I whirled around abruptly, sending my foot under his chin.

I thought that I saw him widen his eyes. I had barely touched him when he was already moving out of my reach.

“WHAT YOUTHFULNESS, TENTEN!”

Seemingly annoyed, Neji narrowed his eyes at me. With a synchronized mention, our shuriken clashed. We lunged at each other, I kept attacking him with my baton with increasing speed each time. He was matching my moves, dodging each of my blows. I blocked in-extremis a palm coup with my Jyo.

_Shit!_

He managed to break it in half.

I did a double backward somersault to get away from him.

We stared at each other, for a few seconds.

“Impressive both of you!” Gai-sensei screamed. “Keep it up!”

I jumped and spun round trying to hit him first with my right leg, which he dodged, then with my left leg. He had to bend and roll out of my reach; but I didn’t let him escape and _shunshin_ right above him, my leg up in one frontal kick.

He suddenly whirled on himself, creating a wind with his chakra that disturbed me before blocking my foot with his forearm.

Our eyes widened at the same time.

We barely had the time to split up, that Gai-sensei was right in the middle of where we used to be.

_Got it._

We then both started to attack him, while trying to land a blow at the other one. Gai-sensei's training sessions were unpredictable. Sometimes he would just let us fight with each other and sometimes he would join in. In this case, we had to try to hit him, while protecting ourselves from his blows.

But that didn't mean we were two against one. We were also ‘enemies’.

Sometimes, yes, we were three against him.

But right now, it was not the case.

We sent a kick towards Gai-sensei, before blocking each other's punches. I winced, backing away quickly. I could feel that he had managed to hit my arms with his clan techniques.

Ugh.

“Don’t lose focus, Tenten!”

I barely sensed Gai-sensei. He managed to get behind me, sending me a blow to my side. Growling with pain, I could see at the corner of my eye, Neji being engaged in an arduous fight against our teacher.

He had never managed to lay a blow to Gai-sensei, not _once_ , and even though I couldn't understand him, I _knew_ it annoyed him.

Honing my speed, I used Gai-sensei's shoulder- because he _let_ me- like a spring to leap on Neji. I placed my knees on his shoulders, causing him to fall violently to the ground. I quickly pulled myself away from him, knowing that he would try to block the tenketsu of my thighs and at the same time, I had to watch out for Gai-sensei.

People might be surprised, but although my specialty was weapons, I was far from being weaker than my teammates in taijutsu, far from it. At the beginning, Neji could easily whoop my ass. But I _did_ make progress. And it wasn’t because I was not selected that I was going to drag on, on this one month of preparation. I was going to take notes on the abilities of other ninjas in other villages.

Never again will I lose in such a humiliating manner.

And I will win.

That's when our teacher started attacking us both mercilessly.

By the end of the session, we were worn out. And Gai-sensei just seemed to have barely started warming up.

Ugh, he was just so strong. I couldn't see what Gai-sensei could envy his 'eternal rival'. He was an equally powerful ninja and having seen Hatake Kakashi, he was... dull? While Gai-sensei was always full of life. Well, everyone was as they were.

“Yosh! What a lively and youthful training session! Tenten! Neji! I’m proud of you! And Neji, keep practicing like this! It will lead you to victory!”

He spoke to me, “Tenten! You seem to be more cautious in the way you fight, a good improvement!”

I lightly smiled at him. “Thanks, sensei.”

Now, I needed to get a bit of my shit together. Luckily, it was very unlike me to dwell on things for too long.

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I liked weapons. I always wanted to be like Lady Tsunade, the most powerful Kunoichi of the world. I wanted to be as strong as her, as renowned as her. I wanted to prove that women could be as strong as men. Unfortunately for me, I was born with numerous spoke in the wheels. I was an orphan, to begin with. I grew up alone, I had friends, yes, but I had no one to greet me at night when I came home. There was the matron of course, but it wasn't much of a _family_.

But more than that, I was painstakingly _ordinary._ Luckily, I understood it early. I had also quickly realized that I had to be very good at the ordinary abilities that _all_ ordinary ninjas possessed. I made it a point of honour to have great stamina, to not fall behind boys on Taïjutsu - the best boys in my Academy’s classes- and to continuously practice my shurikens and kunais throwing.

I knew that I couldn’t afford to drag it out, I had to _at least_ excel in the basics.

I was finally placed on Team Gai. It was a bit weird at the beginning. One of my teammates had trouble using his chakra and the other one was just an arrogant bastard.

And I was just in the fucking middle.

Actually, I didn’t use to take Gai-sensei seriously. It was not until I saw his dedication towards us and the ninja art that I started to gain some real respect for him. He trained us diligently and even Neji, this genius-bastard, couldn’t accomplish the quarter of what Gai-sensei did and was able to do. 

To be honest, the one who would inherit Gai-sensei's potential was Lee, I knew it. He was the most likely to follow in Gai-sensei's footsteps. As for Neji, he was a genius in his own field and in his clan.

As for me, I wasn't going to stand idly by, that's for sure, but I didn't know exactly what to do.

Lee could open the gates and Neji was getting stronger and stronger. But, then, what about me?

I thought about it for a while and decided to turn to iryo-ninjutsu. I had asked Gai-sensei if it was possible that he could set me up with a medical ninja, which he had done.

In the end?

I was _so_ not cut out for this. To my great disappointment, I didn't have the chakra control or even the kind of concentration required in this area.

A bitter taste had settled in my mouth because I had somehow targeted this area to get a little closer to Lady Tsunade.

The training session with Gai-sensei had become more intense and he had encouraged _me_ more in particular. Only later did I realize that he was worried about me. He wasn't dumb. He could see that things were not going well.

I was more worried about my future. I had to be able to find something that belonged to me, a specialty of my _own._

Then, Gai-sensei had pulled me aside to have a talk with me.

“Is something wrong?” I had asked confused and nervous at the same time. Had I done something wrong? He wanted to scold me, that’s why he had pulled my aside to speak to me face-to-face?

He had scrutinized me for a brief moment with his very dark brown eyes, his face thoughtful. I had never seen him with such an expression before, and it had left me a little puzzled.

Gai-sensei had suddenly laughed, “Ah, my dear Tenten! You don't look well these last few days!”

I had heavily sighed, “I’m fine, Gai-sensei”

But the concern had warmed me up. I had gently smiled at him before rubbing my arms. I was not used to confiding to anyone. I grew up alone. I had always relied only on myself...but Gai-sensei...Team Gai had slowly become like a family to me. Through the D-rank missions we flew and the C-rank missions we took on.

He had kept smiling at me with his hands on his hips, his face open and friendly.

“I…”

I stopped before clearing my throat. “I’m not good at iryo-ninjutsu, Gaï-sensei.”

“You shouldn’t say that Tenten! You mustn’t give up!” he had cried vigorously, a blazing fire that never cease to burn his eyes.

I had sighed, absolutely _done._

“YOSH! Tenten! If you try to give up again, you run laps 500 times around the village! And if you couldn’t, you do a thousand push-ups!”

“Gai-sensei, seriously,” I had said, annoyed. “I’m not _good._ I _tried_. It requires a certain amount of chakra control that I don’t possess and the kind of concentration that _I don’t have_ for this subject. It’s not about being discouraged or not wanting to pursue because my motivation is weak. It’s about knowing oneself.”

I had shaken my head. “Sometimes _even_ determination isn't enough. I have to find something else.” My eyes in his. “Trust me, I tried.”

( Because I was always the one with a bit less tenacity. It had changed way later.)

To my great surprise, he had remained silent before putting his hand against my shoulder, holding it lightly. “All right! I get it! But don't be discouraged! Get back to your old vigor and be more determined than ever in your training!”

A week later he offered me a scroll full of weapons and a book on fuinjutsu.

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Fuinjutsu was something I never thought I’d be interested in. Yet, it was such an interesting discipline and there were _so_ many possibilities.

Within a week, my apartment had become a pile of scrolls and notes that I wrote down every time; as well as fuinjutsu essays and beginner's seals that I had found in books that Gai-sensei had given me constantly.

One of the basic knowledge of Fuinjutsu was that it was a _language_. Which meant that strictly speaking, everyone could create their own seals. But there were a lot of factors to take into account. For starters, the seal had to be _balanced_. Every piece that was put on had _to give_ as much as _it received._ For example, to make explosive scrolls, you had to combine _wind_ and _fire_ elements and the term _blast._ In ninjutsu theory, the wind was as strong as the fire. Most importantly, it gave _intensity_ to the latter. It could _either_ extinguish it or intensify its fiery flames.

But to do this, the fire had to be as intense as the wind. The seal had to be well balanced. Neither too much nor too little, at least, for this case.

The scope of the explosion and the intensity must be decided before making the seal. That was the last straw to create the explosive tag. The word ‘blast’.

How far away was the explosion supposed to spread? And how heavy it supposed to be?

A calculus had to be made, that took into account the ninjutsu equations of the elements _wind_ and _fire._

But it didn't stop there.

The seal shouldn't be ten kilometers long. The best seals are _one-character_ seals. This was the major difference between a Sealing Master and a mediocre sealer.

It would be counterproductive and impractical otherwise.

Fortunately, explosive tags were the easiest to make. At least that's what Gai-sensei's books told me. I never really liked to read or do extensive research. It wasn't my thing. I wasn't an idiot and I had always gotten good grades at the Academy, but I prefer using my instinct than having long, hesitant thoughts.

Still, I had some instinctive understanding of Fuinjutsu, and I _did like_ that art. I had learned how to make storage seals and a lot of explosive tags.

I also used the seals to isolate the noise in my apartment.

I had a lot of ideas about the type of seals I would like to create, but since it was a very little-used discipline, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to learn anything from the books.

As I said, Fuinjutsu was like a language. And each fuinjutsu master passed their art to their disciple, who developed their own on that basis. Of course, they were careful _not_ to write anything. It _belonged_ to them.

I had done research on Uzushio, the famous land of the Fuinjutsu masters, the Uzumakis. Unfortunately, it had been completely decimated, a real slaughter perpetuated by three other large villages.

They were feared for their strength coming from their discipline, linked to Fuinjutsu.

How strong were they? And how dangerous was fuinjutsu?

I had wondered if this was the reason why there were no Uchihas left on the street and their area was suddenly empty.

When I was younger, I thought they had all left in the night, not wanting to stay in the village anymore. Except that it was outright _treason_ and I couldn't imagine the village police doing something like that.

I hadn't thought about it at all, until I learned that the heir of the Uchiha clan had actually _slaughtered_ them all in one night. I shivered, disgusted.

Did the heir fear the power of his own clan? Or had he just gone mad?

Who knew.

I stretched out in front of my scrolls, I had methodically stored all the weapons I needed, having sharpened and cleaned them beforehand.

I had been thinking, since before the chûnin exams, about a seal which might perhaps enable me to become faster. Something _instantaneous._ Now that I had lost so spectacularly against this Suna’s kunoichi, I was thinking about something else. A seal that allowed my weapons _to cut through_ any ninjutsu.

Specifically _, wind_ one.

I could be called petty, but hey, at least I learned from my mistakes.

I hadn't figured out how to do it yet, though. It was a hard task. I didn’t really know _how t_ o do it. 

I had some ideas... but I had to practice. And I didn't want to blow anything up by accident. If I applied my chakra in the seal to make it work, I _had_ to be sure.

Maybe I will visit Kaoru the day after tomorrow to speak about strengthening my weapons.

I sighed, tired.

“I need a nice, hot shower. And then I go to bed. Good thing tomorrow's my day off,” I said out aloud.

I needed to _sleep_.

If only I had _known_ what was waiting for me the next day.

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I was sleeping so peacefully that it was impossible for me to just _think_ that my gods-blessed sleep _might_ be _interrupted._

Yet, it was. Because someone was making noise in _my apartment_. _Who did I have to stab?_ I was _not_ nice when I was woken up so early in the morning when it was my _day off._

I opened my eyes and slowly rose from my bed. I rubbed my eyes for a few seconds before silently walking towards the door. There was someone in my apartment. I thought I heard a noise and, as a ninja, I _couldn't_ brush it aside as if it was nothing.

Luckily for me, I knew _how_ to walk and _where_ to walk to not make the floor squeak. It was normal. It was _my_ home.

Taking a kunai, I opened the door of my room as quietly as possible before jumping on the ceiling, firmly sticking my feet on it. I had to be careful. I was a ninja, so I’d placed some traps in my place. The fact that they failed to activate was alarming. Someone strong enough had been able to sneak on my house, but clumsy enough to make noises. What a weird combination.

How was it even possible?

Narrowing my eyes, I began to walk on my ceiling, being careful to keep in shadow. I diligently hid my chakra, clenching gently my kunai before I stealthily went to check my front door. Nothing. My traps were still there.

I headed to my living room, where my little kitchen was also located.

And that was when I saw him. In the middle of my organized mess, piles of scrolls and inked pots methodically ordered on my kitchen table. He was standing in the center of my living room, staggering on his feet and on the verge of collapsing. His outfit was the strangest I had seen ever. A light grey armor with two harnesses on his shoulders, a tight black trouser and a _mask, with bizarre painting on it._ I didn’t dwell too much on it. I could see short black hair and...that was it. I frowned, again. And this mask...I have never seen ninjas wearing it before. What the hell was he doing here?

_What the hell was this creep doing in my house?_

He had been able to avoid my traps in this _state_? Even my window was _closed._ It was only because he seemed to be injured that he’d made some kind of noises. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know that he was here. Even his chakra didn’t give him away. No doubt, he was a top-level ninja. He was at least Jônin.

I shivered. _Shit._ Would I even be _able_ to incapacitate him? Again, why the hell was he here? Was he trying to escape? Most likely...I didn’t know.

He collapsed, falling on his buttocks and startling me down. His body was slightly shaking.

Was he a foreign ninja? An intruder? I haven’t seen this kind of uniform before. Or maybe it was a woman? Was I using the wrong pronoun?

Impossible. From what I could see his muscles were far too pronounced to be those of a woman. Also, he was much too tall.

So, a man, was it.

I pinched my lips, hands shaking. Again, what the hell was he doing in my place? And why the hell he seemed in a bad shape? Konoha’s ninjas were after him? He was probably fighting tenaciously and he preferred to run away in the end. And he came to hide in my house?

And my traps...again, I was flabbergasted. He had avoided them so well. In this wounded state! It was fucking impressive.

I paused for a few seconds. He didn’t seem to have spotted me. Maybe he was a Konoha ninja? I silently sighed. I didn’t like thinking this much. It was not my thing. I’d have to approach him caref-

He fell on his back this time and didn't seem to move.

I nervously checked around me, checking to make sure that no one other than him was there.

I noticed a mark on his shoulder, but I didn’t pay any more attention to it than that. Instead of that, I did the most stupid thing ever.

I steeled myself and put a hesitant hand on his shoulder.

Honestly, it wasn’t even shocking that his hand popped up to grab my throat, sending my kunai flying across the room. I clutched at his arm, trying to get it off my neck. He squeezed his hand, his chakra suddenly _threatening._ He didn’t look sick anymore. He seemed fine.

With a whimper, I extended my leg quickly and kicked him violently. _Asshole_!

His grip gave way like a dam under the power of the water. I wasted no time, throwing myself at him.

“You, _asshole!_ ” I let out furiously, literally wrestling with him. “First, you broke _into my house_ , _waking me_ up and then you try to _strangle_ me?! I’m so gonna stab you!”

He didn’t say a word but I swear I heard him grunt. Fuck him! And now I was being coarse because of him.

_Thank God for Gai-sensei and his strength training._

I struggled against him, as hard as I could, trying to armlock him or trap him between my thighs, to _strangle_ him until he _fainted._

Without understanding anything, I suddenly saw the ceiling. Breath-taken because of my fall on my back, I didn’t have time to roll over on the side.

And that was when an icy calm took hold of me. I didn’t feel like fighting him anymore or even talking at all. Something told me that this man was really not doing very well.

Moreover, I had just realized that he could have killed me long ago, despite his condition, but he hadn’t.

Because the glove on his left hand had light blades. And he didn’t use them.

I tried to speak gently, wooing him. “You need to go to the hospital. I don’t know why you broke into my apartment, I don’t even know if you are an enemy, I don’t know you. But we’ve got to go to the hospital.”

He violently shivered, his body steeling.

“D...don’t..”

He stopped talking, breathing loudly, his all body shaking.

“..tel...anyone…”

“Shit.” I let out aloud. “Look, I repeat, again, even if I’m not a damn parrot, I don’t know you and you could as well be an intruder or have stolen something, I don’t know. You have a foreign gear and this strange mask.”

His coughs suddenly cut me off and I knew I could not afford to question him like that, not now anyway. It was not the time. I had to make up my mind: should I report him to someone? Or should I look after him myself? Biting my lower lip, I looked around as if my apartment could provide me with a solution to this massive dilemma, or that the solution itself would _shunshin_ itself in front of me.

“For Shodai’s sake,” I muttered, my hands sweaty. “Shit,” I cursed, again.

Okay, okay. Breathe in. Breathe out.

“Get a hold of yourself Tenten, if you don't do anything, he's going to die.”

But if I _did_ something...it could be treason. I shivered at the thought, my whole body being revolted by the mere mention of this horrid act. The corner of my lip turned down.

“Fine.” I decided. “You, wait here and please, don’t die on me.”

His chest was rising at a steady and fast pace. I could feel panic coming over me, but I was urging myself to calm down.

“I’m going to strip you, so don’t attack me like earlier, okay?”

I could still feel his hand around my throat. I slightly massaged it, clearing my throat to get through the pain that was still here.

I didn’t wait for him to answer- what would he have said? He was near death and I didn't even know if I was of any help.

I began to remove his armor, poking around in his chest to find the harnesses. When I did, I was able to quickly remove it, it was quite easy: there were only two of them.

I threw it to the side, I'll examine it later. I touched his arms looking for a wound, but nothing. He looked as if he had been hit, but nothing serious. I gently lifted his tight, sleeveless black shirt. I was presented with very well designed abs on tanned skin. Nothing.

Damn it. It meant only one thing.

_Poison._

It must be poison. And I was not qualified at all to take care of a poisoned man. I needed to get him to the hospital, at this rate, he would _die._

And I clearly couldn't have his death on my conscience. It would destroy me.

“Look, buddy, I need to take you to the hospital. I can’t heal you, I’m not qualified at all. I don’t know how to heal people, besides first aids and creams.”

He convulsed all of sudden, bending in half so abruptly that I had to step back, shocked. A small cry of pain came from between his teeth and he whistled, like a snake.

I couldn't see his eyes, but I was pretty sure he was staring at me. Unless he was squeezing them tightly. I didn’t know. I didn’t know anything! I felt a tremor and forced myself to stand up straight and still.

In any case, he managed to cough me up, “Don't take me to the hospital! I can't, I can't, I can't, _I can't!_ ”

“But you’re going to die!” I screamed, rubbing my face, completely overwhelmed. Damn, that was so pathetic coming from a kunoichi. “You’ve been poisoned, you know! And I keep talking and you're getting closer and closer to death and I don't know _what to do!_ ”

“Better dead,” he muttered.

“No! You’ll not die on me. It’s flipping egoistical, but I don’t care. I don’t want to have your death on my conscience!”

I stood up briskly. "You're going to the hospital, man. I don't care if you don't want to! I'm gonna drag you there if I have to. If you have nothing to blame yourself for, it's all right, otherwise you're just an enemy of my village. And I'm a Konoha ninja. I don't help the enemy."

I was determined. It was the _right_ thing to do. Even in this weakened state, he had been strong enough to flip me over on my back. Even if I was still injured from my fight against Suna's kunoichi, and my training with Neji and Gai-sensei, I was in full possession of my skills. But he still managed to incapacitate me.

I took him by the underarms, mentally thanking Gai-sensei for his monster training.

He grabbed my arm with a strength of mind I could only admire. For that was all he had left, he was in too much pain to do _anything else._

This confirmed my suspicions that he must be an enemy. But who would infiltrate the village so clearly in disguise? Anybody would be able to spot him miles away.

I uttered a little cry of pain as he squeezed my arm more and more. I could _barely_ drag him, it was a real mess and I couldn't get anywhere like that.

He was going to die in my arms!

" _Shit_!”

I couldn't leave him here, what if he kicked the bucket? What if they wanted to interrogate him and couldn't? Surely they could have _followed_ him unless he ran away before the poison took effect? I didn't know a _damn thing._

My involvement was useless either way, I couldn't help him except to take him to the hospital. But since he was an enemy…he didn’t even _try_ to deny this accusation. He just didn’t want to go to the hospital.

My heart was pounding and I chewed my lips bloody.

“I'll get someone.”

I should have done this since the beginning. This entire situation was just so ridiculous.

I tried to drop him smoothly, but he wouldn't let go and held on to me. I grunted in pain.

"Seriously, let go of me!”

“N-o..t, no hospital..”

“Why the hell wouldn't I take you to the hospital?! I've already told you, you're either an enemy or an ally and I'll find out there! Even if I wanted to keep you here, I don't know how to _treat_ you!”

It was so darn frustrating. I knew I was getting nowhere, and I knew I needed to act, to think, to do something. The situation was dragging on and on and I kept repeating myself over and over again, but I didn't _act._ Actions before words. That was my motto.

_That's enough of that._

While I was making the decision to _shunshin_ and go get a chûnin, a jônin, Shodai’s knew _who,_ he finally croaked, “P-pocket.” 

“What?”

He groaned, “P..po..pocket!”

His pocket-

_An antidote ??_

I started poking him again, feeling him on all sides. It was a miracle he was still alive! Either he was very lucky or it was a poison meant to make him suffer for a long time. And that was when I felt _something_. Something metallic. I hurried to take it out and stood still.

A headband. It was a Konoha headband.

I looked at him hesitantly. He was a Konoha ninja? But if he was one, why didn't he want to go to the hospital so badly? And what was he wearing? I had never seen a ninja from our village wearing this.

Maybe he had come in a disaster from a mission and didn't want civilians to see him? But in that case, I could call a chûnin, couldn't I?

Or was it an S-ranked mission?

Clutching my hands, I started looking again, feeling his trousers and the other pockets near his legs. I discovered that they were just folds and I couldn't help but admire the ingenious work.

And in one of those folds, finally, I found a small syringe filled with a green liquid.

I grabbed his arm, not really sure what to do. Was he a real Konoha ninja? Why hadn't he at least tried to warn me that he was a Konoha ninja? What if he stole the headband? It wasn't impossible. But if that's the case, why hide it? And what was so special about the headband? Did he want to impersonate a Konoha ninja? Wouldn't a Henge be enough? But if that's the case, why hide it?

It could be found everywhere outside of Konoha on dead ninjas, I suppose.

I made a quick decision to... _not_ to _trust_ him but to _see_ what would happen. I'll put security measures around me, but either way, I couldn't leave him like that. He would prevent me from searching for help by any means; he was able to hold on to me even in a deplorable state, and the amazement I felt towards him kept growing. If I was able to get someone, he might very well die here by the time I came back with a chûnin.

I didn't know it at the time, but I had made the right decision.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me you had an antidote? And that you were a Konoha ninja?"

Without waiting for an answer - _what_ answer, anyway - I stuck the needle in his arm, injecting the whole dose, every last drop, letting _nothing._

Within seconds, he gradually stopped shaking, his breathing becoming less jerky and steadier. Relief washed through me, and I fell to the ground. I kept looking at him, patiently waiting for him to fully calm down. When he stopped moving, I placed a hand against his heart in panic and sighed as I felt it beating under my palm.

Still, I stayed at least five minutes like that, making sure his heart didn't stop.

I put one hand on my face, closing my eyes. It was unbelievable. I didn’t stay much longer with my eyes closed and I hastened to open them. I couldn’t let my guard down.

With a hesitant hand, I touched him. Seeing he didn’t make any abrupt movement, I concluded that he was asleep.

I satiated my curiosity by removing his mask. Maybe I had already seen him before…

Of the same color as the rest of his body, although a little lighter, his face was hard and chiseled. He had a thin but firm mouth and prominent cheekbones. His nose seemed to have been broken several times, which did not surprise me, but it had a beautiful shape and added to the beauty of his face. He wasn't ugly, far from it. His hair, which was black, went all over the place and I noticed that it grazed the back of his neck.

He didn't remind me of anyone, and yet...

I frowned.

It was weird.

I stood up and tried to drag him to something more comfortable than the floor. Good thing I had futons.

I opened the closet and pulled out a clean one. It was with a twinge of heartache that I laid the man on it.

 _What could I do,_ _what could I do?_

Water!

I rushed into the kitchen and took a glass and filled it with water. I did what I could. If he died on me, _it wasn’t my fault._

I knelt down beside him, avoiding another scroll. I gently grabbed his jaw before pausing.

How was I going to get him to drink? Oddly enough, his steady breathing made me feel calmer. I was still feeling pretty stressed by the whole situation.

I put the glass on the floor before gently opening up his mouth by softly squeezing his jaw.

I was right. His lips were dry. He had to drink.

"You'd better cooperate, man, even if you're asleep," I muttered to myself. I felt stupid right away.

_Focus on the task at hand, Tenten._

However, I couldn’t stop talking.

“You know, I was sleeping so well. It was kind of my day off? I wanted to study my fuinjutsu-”

I suddenly stopped. Not because I was giving him information about my abilities - my house was covered with parchment and fuinjutsu. And he was kind of _out_ right now.

No.

It was because I saw something on his tongue. I honestly didn't know why a shiver ran through my whole body. It was as if my entire being was telling me it was _wrong._ But _what_ was wrong?

I had let go of his jaw in the meantime. Breathing in gently, as if to give myself some nerve, I opened his mouth again, my eyes fixed on his tongue.

Time seemed to stop. All I could hear was my breathing and the beating of my heart. What the hell was that? Was that... fuinjutsu? He had a _seal_ on his tongue?

And that shape...that shape...I shivered again. I had studied fuinjutsu a lot, as much as I could with the books Gai-sensei gave me. I had never, in _all_ my research and introspection, come across such a form of seal.

I knew instinctively that it was _not_ a good fuinjutsu.

I rubbed my arms, backing away from him. This fear was irrational, but I had to trust my guts.

They told me not to take him to the hospital and leave him at home. Now they were telling me not to go near that fuinjutsu mark.

(Later, my guts kept me _alive._ )

I placed my hands flat on the floor and closed my eyes. I didn’t care if it was dangerous, I couldn't think of anything else but that seal. It had literally towered over everything in my mind. I spread my chakra around me...I wasn't looking for anything specific. It was an exercise that helped me to calm down.

I knew it was just both of us in my apartment. However, I extended my senses into my bathroom, toilet and beyond. I left my house, exploring the hallway before going to the street in front of my building. I sensed people. Civilians. Adults and children. A family. Orphans. Maybe. I could almost hear people laughing or talking loudly. I used to perform this exercise at a younger age when the loneliness was too stifling. And now that I was in a team with a teammate like Neji, I had learned to extend my senses even more. Gai-sensei could attack from any side and I didn't want Neji to be the only "sensor" in the team.

I didn't know how long I stayed like this, but as soon as I opened my eyes I felt more at peace.

“Give him some water. Go cool off afterward. And place a safety around him.”

Once that list was spoken aloud, I nodded to myself. I moistened his lips before I tried to gently squeeze some water down his throat. He stirred in his sleep, frowning.

My back slammed violently into the floor, the glass went crashing against the wall. He was on top of me and I had this unpleasant _feeling of déjà vu._

His hand was around my throat, again, but this time, he didn’t squeeze it.

“And so, you decided to wake up now, huh?” I said in an annoyed voice.

He didn't answer, staring at me. His eyes were pitch black and they somewhat unsettled me. I had only seen one person with that kind of eye color, and that was Uchiha Sasuke along with the member of the Uchiha Police Force when they still existed. Even Gai-sensei’s eyes were dark brown.

“If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it _long before_. Well, it’s true that I threatened to stab you...but you tried to _strangle_ me, I need some understanding here. And I didn't even go looking for someone. I think you can trust me, I can't say the same about you, though.” I grunted, narrowing my eyes at him. “ It’s amazing. How can you just _move_ when you were out of it a few seconds ago?”

He didn't answer, staying above me. It was as if he saw right through me.

As if he didn’t see me at all. Where was his mind?

Not wanting to kick somebody who was sick, I gently shook my hand in front of his face. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe he was going to slit my throat. Maybe he was crazy. All right.If my guts were telling me shit, then he just had to slit my throat. That was all I would deserve as a ninja getting soft on the enemy.

But even so... I couldn't stop thinking about what was on his tongue and what it might involve.

I breathed in and looked square into his eyes. “I don't want to hurt you. You can trust me.”

I stretched out my hands gently, being careful they were within his field of vision, trying not to make any sudden movements.

“I'm unarmed. I just wanted to give you some water, your lips were _so_ dry.”

I repeated it louder, urging myself to be as peaceful as possible. He was like a cornered wild animal; _one_ abrupt gesture, _one_ note louder than the other, and I could say goodbye to my neck. I could feel it as good as I could feel his breath brushing my face.

 _Careful, careful, Tenten._ Otherwise, I might as well offer him my neck so that he could dip his fangs into it.

“I have no weapon. And even if I did, you could disarm me easily. Remember? Me? You? My kunai lost in my living room thanks to your amazing skills? I’m no match for you. Just like earlier. Do you remember?”

I'd always find a way to defend myself. I'd _never_ die without fighting for my life tooth and nail. I was not some woman in distress waiting for the strong, _male_ , ninja to come and save her. I was not into this shit. Just thinking about it gets on my nerves. But I _had_ to admit that my level was far from matching his.

I murmured, again, “Trust me. I’ll _protect_ you.”

What I said right now was unbelievable. I was making him a _promise._ I didn’t know, someone stronger, faster, and better than me, that I would _protect_ him. Protect him from what? From who? My village? I couldn’t! Again, he had a Konoha headband. I didn’t see anybody coming urgently at my home. And he didn’t seem to have any scrolls on him that he had potentially stolen.

But, again, I have _promised_ him. Gai-sensei often told us that promises must always be kept.

At the time, I didn't realize the kind of impression these words would have on him.

All I knew was that his eyes became more _alive_. He could finally see me. _Me._ Not a... _threat_ , or anything else. _Me._

He took a shivering breath, his body starting to shake, violently. I opened my eyes and pushed him away in a hurry.

“Hell!” I cursed out. “Go to bed. _To bed._ Now.”

He was so tired that he staggered, not even trying to resist me.

I poured another glass of water before I came back to him. “Drink. It’s water.”

I didn’t give him the time to talk or to move; I drank a bit of the water to show him that I didn’t put anything in it.

“See? Nothing. Come on, let me help. You need to drink, now.”

I used the firm voice I had when I was talking to Lee. My heart tightened at the mention of my teammate, in the hospital and in a coma.

I shook this thought away before tears could invade my eyes and I gave him a stern look.

I gently brought the glass to his lips. He didn't move. I saw his throat swallow the water and breathed a small sigh of relief.

I got up and picked up the broken glasses. It was a real _pain in the neck_ to clean up. I had to be careful that none of them slipped out of my hands because I had clearly _no desire_ to cut my foot needlessly. But since I was used to handling a lot of weapons, I had a certain ease with anything that was a tad sharp.

I threw the broken glasses in the garbage, being cautious enough to put them in a bag first.

I looked over my shoulder.

The man was sleeping peacefully, his features relaxed.

Now that I thought about it, for such an exceptional ninja, he was totally at my mercy. It couldn't have been an act. I rubbed my arms, not knowing what to think. I finally picked up his armor and mask, examining them more closely.

The armor was solid. It was a high quality one, light enough so as not to be a hindrance during a fight; and hard enough to protect both vital and pressure points. I fumbled around inside. Nothing. It was even _soft._ I snorted lightly. It was what I called ‘an iron fist in a velvet glove’ or more likely a ‘velvet fist in an iron glove.’

Maybe.

I thoughtfully felt the harnesses. I _liked_ weapons. All kinds of weapons. And I often went to see one of the blacksmiths,Kaoru, who lived in the same district as me. Which meant I knew enough about them. That I knew a _lot._

But never in my life had I seen such quality. Ninjas did not wear armors. They had special Jackets for chûnins and jônins. But not this kind of armor. Arms and shins guards, maybe. But a full armor? Only Samurais covered themselves that much. I wondered what Kaoru would think about it.

Then, I took his mask. An owl. It looked worn out like he'd been using it for a long time. I felt it, measured its robustness. As perfect as the armor.

"What the hell is this…?" I muttered quietly. “Who the hell are you, _Owl_?”

I couldn’t shake off the seal of my mind. The mere mention of it made me shudder. I could still see it before my eyes, I could _almost_ feel it.

I squeezed my hands before looking at them, thoughtfully.

Without even thinking about it I stood up and took a piece of paper, an inkwell, and my brush.

.

.

.

.

**Author’s note:**

So….

What can I say? This particular plot bunny didn’t get out of my head and so, I decided to work on it.

I have another fanfiction if you’re interested in it! It’s called ‘A Will make of Iron’ and it’s about a seven-year-old Sakura who wanted to be classified as a flee-on-sight in the bingo book like Namizake Minato.

I tried to stay true to the canon world - while adding my own personal elements, of course, even if I tried to stay IC with Tenten. I tried to give her some depth!-

It had always angered me the way she had lost against Temari. Like, what the hell? It was so stupid?

Stay safe everyone and until next time!

Feedbacks are highly encouraged ;)

Thanks to **KotoLexy** for beta-reading me ;_; 

Go read her fanfiction!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Owl was still sleeping, his face pale, his body loose. I had drawn a circle of Fuinjutsu around him, securing the area. Even if I have decided to more or less trust him, I will not make myself defenseless against him, he was so much stronger than me that it was almost ridiculous. I was not a moron.

The seal was truly simple and inspired by the one Gai-sensei had on his weight. If he tried to step out outside of the security circle? Well, it was his _loss_. He would find himself _nailed_ to the ground in less than two seconds. Hard for someone who was injured? I'd say it was perfectly _fair play._ I was a _ninja._ Not a samurai. Ninjas would attack quietly. They were sneaky. When faced with opponents four times stronger than them? They were four times as sly. You couldn't see them coming. Sometimes it was the smartest one who won. Shikamaru showed it well with his fight during the preliminaries. Not like me.

I clenched my jaw.

Anyway.

I checked the Fuin I placed around him at least three times before to fetch me some refreshment.

Satisfied for now with my decision, I get back to business.

Business meant the strange Fuin located on his tongue.

 _It was like nothing I'd ever seen_. Not that I had seen much of…how to put it? Interesting seals?

Eh.

I was by no mean a Fuinjutsu master, far from it. _But_ , thanks to Gai-sensei's books, I was at least very well informed. In any event, as much informed as I could be.

Three full horizontal lines, followed by three spaced ones.

A very strange anagram. An anagram far too scary. _Shit._

"Okay," I mumbled between my teeth. "All right. It's weird, it's scary, but I'm going to get to the bottom of it."

Twirling my brush between my thumb and my index finger, I frowned, my mind spinning a thousand miles an hour.

I drew the symbol quickly the first time, taking a look at Owl who was less than a meter away from me. My kitchen table was right in front of the Futon that I had placed for him.

I was sure that if I had a master of Fuin by my side, they would surely have disowned me from their apprenticeship.

I did _nothing_ by the rules.

But then again, Fuin, in my opinion, was not a discipline like Kenjutsu or even some Taijutsu arts.

Fuin was personal. Of course, whether it was Kenjutsu or Taijutsu, any enthusiastic user of those disciplines would end up developing their own style. A sword user might prefer to finish their fight by drawing their sword in a thousandth of a second - a practice that came from Kiri, which did not surprise me, considering the excellent kenjutsu users they produced - or a master in Taijutsu might prefer to use their fist than their legs or their legs than their fist or even their elbow.

It just depended on the person.

Still, Fuinjutsu was different. A discipline that was both serious and loose at the same time.

I spent at least a good three hours on it before giving up. I hadn't even managed to decipher the first level of the seal, it was a real brain-teaser. In the end, I had an intense headache.

I made myself some coffee before taking a hot shower to relax.

When I returned to the living room, I saw that Owl had his eyes open and was looking at the ceiling.

"Are you awake?"

And the winner of the most idiotic question goes to Tenten of Team Gai! I thought, grumbling inwardly. Of course, he was awake!

His big black eyes were probing me, not blinking, staying focused on me as if used to not let out of their sight a designated target, a _prey_.

They remind me of an _owl's_ eyes.

_Oddly fitting._

"You know, that's freaking creepy, dude."

I got up, mind still buzzing because of that damn seal and I almost asked him what exactly was on his tongue, for the Shodai's sake.

I held back in extremis and said instead, "I mean, you don't seem to talk much and it sounds pretty professional for your job, I admit, but don't push it too far by staring at people without blinking."

He didn't say a damn thing. Just keep staring at me without batting an eye.

"Please?" I added because he was without a doubt my hierarchical superior while wondering how the hell he managed to not have watery eyes.

When he opened his mouth, knots formed in my stomach. I was suddenly feeling very stressed. What was he going to say? _What was he going to say?_

With my heart at the edge of my lips, I waited, my skin taut.

"...who are you?"

_Really?_

"The owner of the apartment that you've snuck into. At least a few hours ago. You know the girl you almost strangled to death," I replied flatly.

I was very respectful of the hierarchy, because, clearly, this guy? He was my _superior._ But I always had this snarky side that I couldn't quite hide. People usually don't take an interest in me so they didn't know about it. But my teammates did. There were even a couple of times I was able to cause Neji's jaw to snap close on occasion and Lee would often laugh out loud.

Thinking about Lee was like a cold shower and my stomach tightened. I _had_ to go see him today too.

Taking the situation as a joke allowed me to not panic, even though blocking that kind of emotional reflex was part of the ninja training.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, quickly switching subjects. "And can you tell me at least who are _you_?"

He remained silent. Staring at the Fuinjutsu I placed around him.

He had _finally_ seen them?

"Don't worry. The seals won't hurt you. It's just a safety precaution for _myself._ " I added, feeling like a chatterbox. I wasn't usually that talkative but I needed to fill in the blanks at this point. I was used to the constant agitation of Gai-sensei and Lee.

I had never realized _how much_ my team had a place in my life.

"You said that I could trust you," Owl finally uttered in a deep voice, free of any emotions but maybe a hint of disappointment. Goosebumps crawled up to my spine for unknown reasons.

I got softer in spite of myself. Yes, I told him he could trust me. Which was true. I had _promised_ him that.

I kept my promises. A _lways._

"And you can trust me. I wouldn't do anything to you even if you _are_ very suspicious. And _you are._ However, I never said _I_ could trust _you_."

I began to feel embarrassed by this silence that he seemed to like so much.

I sighed before sitting down cross-legged. "Try to look at things from my point of view, Owl. And I'm sorry, can I call you Owl? Is it a hobby of yours, wearing those kinds of masks and uniforms?"

His face remained as impassive as marble. Or that of any Hyuga I have ever met in my life so far. This guy could clearly put Neji at shame in the 'no-emotions-must-be-shown-on-your-face-dumbass-peasant' role. Hell, he made my teammate look like an eight years old boy who tried to look unflappable. A total fail, needless to say.

Sighing for the third time at least, I looked at him. _Really_ looked at him.

"You're aware that the only reason I'm not going to get a chûnin is that you're my superior? Otherwise, there's too much uncertainty around you... Owl."

I made a gesture towards his armor and his mask that I had put on a chair.

"Like, just _that._ I've never seen such good quality armor. I've never seen a mask like this, except at the big Konoha festival. And needless to say that the - yuup - _quality_ is not the same. Your level _speaks_ for you. And that's why I'm doing nothing, other than because I promise it to you as well."

I paused, checking if he was listening to me or if he hadn't fallen asleep. He should be still tired, though.

It must be a top-secret mission gone wrong. It was clear that he was running away from something. But in that case, why didn't he go directly to the Hokage? Why was he disguised in this way? I was not a moron.

I nevertheless understood that with this type of quality of armor, that inevitably came from the financial funds of the Hokage.

Not obeying him meant _insubordination_. I may be just a genin, but I was _part_ of the shinobi rank.

I should not forget either, that at the moment, in our village, there were ninjas from another village.

Maybe he was running away from them? Maybe he was a ninja of Suna?

But he hadn't done me any harm. He could have.

_Even weakened._

"I'm going to ask you some questions to be...sure."

Not giving him time to react -he never reacts, anyway, so…- I asked him my first question.

"Mission."

To my great surprise, he replied to me with a squeaky-clean answer, "N-J-T-T-J-P-O"

He knew the code. This code was very simple but specific to Konoha's genins. They learned it in their last year and they learned how to do it _fast_. It was necessary to take the next letter of each letter of the alphabet to be able to constitute it.

MISSION: M=N I=J S=T S=T I=J O=P N=O

MISSION: N-J-T-T-J-P-O

It was very specific to Konoha.

Now, it meant nothing.

But it was a beginning.

I began to move my hands. I performed first the mudra of the snake. Then I bent my index finger and my thumb to form an 'O' while doing at the same time the mudra of the dog. I then clenched both fists before moving my pinky three times. Finally, I formed the mudra of the cow, rabbit and tiger.

"The fire sought protection by the leaf as its heat burns any pest that threatens to devour its lush forest."

I must admit it: I wasn't expecting that.

I performed _two codes_ at the same time and he knew both of them. This sentence was a code Gai-sensei had taught us before we took the chûnin exams precisely. I didn't know if he had the right to do it knowing that it is of chûnin, even joûnin level.

But I was very happy to have learned these sentences and this sign code.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Right...right...you're...okay. I trust you on this one." I sighed. "Okay….why won't you rest a little more? I'll make us some food. It's already eleven o'clock. I'll make something easy to swallow. Maybe some noodles? What do you think?"

I stopped for a second. "Maybe I should ask you if you're in pain somewhere? Although the antidotes you had in your pocket seem to be working well. I should warn you though, I wouldn't stay here all day. I have things to buy and I have to visit my teammate."

I might as well try to learn more about the poison. I really didn't want to find him dead in my house.

I grabbed the scrolls I was working on and put them in a cardboard box that was pushed into a corner of the room. Then I washed my hand in the sink. Two times.

"You are very strong, I would love to be as strong as you are. I'm training hard, I wasn't selected for the third part of the chûnins exams, unfortunately. I'm very disappointed, but life is hard and we're dealing with it."

"Approaching a sleeping or unconscious ninja is not something you should do."

I was so surprised to hear him answering me that I let the noodle bag fall out of my hands. Quickly, I turned to him.

He was looking straight ahead. For a moment I observed his elegant profile. His nose, which must surely have been broken, had no bumps at all. It must have been healed by an iryo-nin. It was something very easily achievable for them.

Then, shame.

I was ashamed because he was right.

And I really didn't like to be reprimanded by someone more experienced than me on something so obvious and simple.

Like, the basics.

"Ugh, you're _right._ "

Silence.

I started to understand how he was.

I had told him he was right. It was a statement, not a question. Since we both knew he was right, he didn't need to answer.

It just _made sense._

"You know, you have this talent to make someone feel completely stupid. For your information, _I'm not_ , even if my actions have been. But, without them, you would have died long ago, right?"

"Giving me water right after giving me this antidote is a bad idea. The liquid could have had a bad reaction with the poison and the remedy. You're lucky that's not the case for this poison and antidote. "

I opened my mouth then closed it. "Are you an iryo-nin?"

Since he didn't answer, I decided to quickly prepare the noodles, saying nothing more. The silence was not awkward, although, honestly, the situation _was_.

I took this opportunity, waiting for the noodles to heat up, to quickly tidy up my kitchen table, before wiping it clean.

I wince before redoing my ponytail.

Damn, I wasn't used to so much silence. Usually, I would greet it with gratitude after a day with my teammates.

"Are you in pain?"

I came in front of him, frowning, watching him. His empty gaze met mine; he hadn't moved an inch.

Then he said something in his cold voice that made my eyes widen.

"You shouldn't walk around like that in front of a man."

" _What?_ " I looked up at him, stunned.

The fuck was he talking about? And yes, I didn't care that I was being coarse!

"Be aware of that."

"What the fuck are you talking about? Why should I be aware of that? Of _what_ exactly to begin with? I don't _like_ what you're implying if it bothers you, _close_ your _damn_ eyes."

"Women are most likely to be assaulted or raped, especially on missions. I'm surprised you don't know that. But you don't have to learn much at the Academy."

THAT silenced me.

_How…_

I had never thought of that. Strangely, I had _never_ really thought about it. But it made so much sense. A shiver of fear ran through my spine, a cold flash of pure _terror_ , without limit, so strong that it paralyzed me completely. I literally _felt_ my face turning _pale_.

I took three steps backwards, my eyes wide open and, strangely enough, his impassive gaze only made me panic more instead of giving me an anchor to hold on to, an imperturbable rock in the middle of a wild storm.

I took a second look at my outfit. I was just wearing shorts and a light top. That was it. It was damn _pajamas_ and that was enough to….to….

That was so wrong. So damn wrong!

I couldn't quite grasp what he was telling me. Something was making me uncomfortable.

"I…"

I shook my head. "Anyway. The noodles are ready, I'll help you eat, and then you'll have to sleep. I have things to do. I'll disappear for two, three hours maybe. I guess you're no longer in danger of dying and you're recovering from the poison."

I picked up the noodles and knelt down beside him. I paused and realized that he couldn't eat like that.

"Wait a minute."

I grabbed two pillows and helped him stand up slowly so he could lean on them.

I was ready to argue if he wouldn't let me spoon-feed him, being used to silly male teammates.

Except that he didn't say anything. He hadn't even protested when I touched him. It was almost a sign of trust.

I caught some noodles between my chopsticks and told him to open his mouth, which he did without any protest. He knew he had to eat to regain his strength.

"I didn't put anything in it," I said anyway. "You can eat in peace."

"I know," he told me calmly. " I didn't see any suspicious movement and I'm immune to most poisons."

I blinked, surprised by the information he gave me so easily.

"Well, in that case, what was the poison that knocked you out?"

This time he didn't answer me.

I understood now that he had been staring at me the whole time, watching what I was putting in the food. I understood _why._ It wasn't only because he was the silent type. He was analyzing a bunch of things.

I saw Yamanaka Ino doing the same thing. She might look completely superficial but she was the daughter of Yamanaka Inoichi. Her teammate was Nara Shikamaru. She wasn't a moron.

Her fight against Haruno Sakura was _special_. It went beyond a simple rivalry. It was obvious that _something_ connected her to Haruno Sakura. In terms of techniques, Yamanaka Ino was clearly _superior_ to Haruno Sakura but Haruno's _will_ to win more than compensated for her physical weaknesses and it even seemed that she had a gift for Taïjutsu. Properly trained, she could be a beast. I didn't understand why her sensei didn't notice this. It was like she was slacking off behind her teammates.

I remembered them chasing Uchiha Sasuke at the Academy. Even the girls in my class thought he was cute, and, truly? I had _never_ understood what was his appeal, to be honest. He seemed to be...dull. _Focused_ on a goal. He had never been violent or insolent towards his fans, though. And that was something I respected.

Owl opened his mouth and I got a glimpse of the Fuin in his mouth and I couldn't help but ask, "What's on your tongue?"

He looked at me, _really_ looked at me.

Then he simply shook his head. _Got it. Not brushing this subject._

Which made me pause. It was a strange gesture for the like of him.

"Are you a Fuin's expert?" Owl inquired after eating three spoons of noodles. He was a very well-behaved patient. The best.

I couldn't help but laugh. Me? A Fuin expert?

" _Not at all!_ I'm a beginner. Fuin is so hard that even after one year studying it, we're still at the beginner stage."

He didn't say anything more and I did the same. However, I almost felt that he was disappointed.

Strange.

He finishes his noodles without a second thought before going to bed.

He didn't fall asleep until about twenty minutes later, as if he was expecting my noodles to kill him anyway.

.

.

.

.

Lee was still unconscious which did not surprise me at all. The monster had hurt him _too much._ I had bought him flowers, again, replacing the other one.

"Hey, Lee," I began softly. "I don't know if you can hear me but I hope you're not in pain and that you will wake up soon. There is so much you're missing right now. I know you're going to be disappointed to not have been selected to the third part of the chunin exams, but...know that you're strong. This guy was just - is- a monster. I know you, I know that immediately after waking up, you're going to be determined like never and you're going to train until exhaustion and _I will be there._ I feel pretty ashamed to have my ass kicked that easily by the blonde girl, especially since she's on this psycho's team."

I laughed awkwardly. "I know that I had already told you things along the lines last time...but I feel like we both need to hear it. Even though you're probably not hearing me, or maybe you do? Will you remember what I was telling you? The nurses told me that people in a coma often hear people around them."

I sighed deeply, thinking about Owl, because seeing Lee like that? Well, I was seeing Owl instead of my teammate and I didn't even know why. I thought about talking about him to Lee but decided otherwise.

To be honest, I was still a bit unsure. I was feeling way over my head, there wasn't anything in my formation that helped me deal with this situation. Yet, I believed him. I trusted him, he could have killed me. On top of that, what use could a genin like me be to him? I was not strong enough to spy on anyone who was a rank above genin and I clearly knew nothing about the village's affairs. And he clearly didn't need me for this kind of mission.

Something serious had happened and for him to have to hide even from the Hokage…

I shivered.

Strange that the seriousness of the situation appeared to me just now. There were times like this when the brain would suddenly click.

And that seal on his tongue that I couldn't understand nor decipher. His uniform. His mask.

The poison.

_The way he was behaving._

Almost as if he was...done. Just less than thirty minutes ago, I was just seeing someone as cold as a block of ice. But now? I could visualize him. And he just seemed so...empty.

Like he didn't give a shit anymore.

I hope he was safe in my apartment and wasn't that a strange thought? He was nobody for me, yet, I needed to _protect_ him. He was under my care now. He trusted me, I knew it, as odd as it could seem.

He _trusted_ me. Maybe he didn't know it. Maybe he wouldn't even admit it.

I couldn't betray this trust.

"I need to go now, Lee. Going to see you tomorrow as well!"

I walked out of Lee's room and walked straight to the first nurse I saw.

Blood beating in my temples, heart at the edge of my lips, hands sweating.

I was _stressed_. I was _scared._ Afraid to do something stupid. To expose Owl. To endanger him. _I had to be extremely subtle._

Fortunately for me, I always had an empty scroll on me. I took it out, putting it under my elbow. I stood in front of the nurse, who didn't look more than thirty years old, with a round face and fair skin. She had tied her hair in a bun and her dark gray eyes widened slightly when she saw me.

Throwing out my best fake-ass smile, I spoke in a calm and cheerful voice, "Hello! Could I ask you a few questions?"

"Oh, sure." As expected her eyes landed on my parchment for a brief moment. I was proud of myself.

"I'm studying medical ninjutsu, I know I'll never be good enough to be a full medic, but I wish I had...how can I put it? Balanced skills. It will only benefit me," I continued, speaking in a clear voice but at a fast pace.

She blinked again, her face lost, but seemed to understand me completely. "Well, it depends on the area you want to address."

"It's about poisons. I'd like to know the most _vicious_ poisons."

She frowned. "Vicious?"

I tried to look shy but determined, even biting my lower lip. "I suppose... there are _some_ poisons that paralyze a person for a while before they got killed by it? Ones that don't kill instantly."

Her face lit up. "Oh! Of course! I'm not surprised you're talking about this, you know."

I opened my eyes wide. "Why?"

"Ninjas generally like poisons. Easy to use and effective. However, one must be careful and train to be immune to poisons. To do so, you must apply to the hospital's central office and make arrangements with your sensei."

I didn't know that. That was not surprising, Gai-sensei didn't use poisons.

"Oh, of course! But for now, I'd just like to learn more about it." I laughed awkwardly. _Ugh_.

She nodded. "Good."

She told me about different poisons, such as those produced by snakes, like _habu_ , which are very poisonous and dangerous.

I crossed my arms, nodding, my ears red. I was controlling myself as best I could so as not to betray a nervous gesture, but I couldn't prevent myself from clutching my parchment between my fingers or reacting a little too enthusiastically when she told me that some sake was made with a very, very small dose of poison. Fortunately, the nurse seemed to like me and saw no suspicious behavior. All in all, I found that I was doing very well.

Finally, she went straight to the point. "There are many poisons that paralyze without killing immediately. They are generally used by T&I members. It's a good way to keep a suspect alive while they interrogate them, making them suffer the most."

My belly twists in spite of myself. It was...violent. As ridiculous as it was for a ninja, I wasn't used to such brutality.

Fighting the urge to throw up, I nonetheless asked, "There is no antidote for such poisons?"

She paused, looking at me, seemingly worried. "Are you alright?"

My heart skipped a beat. "Yes, yes, don't worry."

"Well…it depends on which poisons we are talking about. There are different types of poisons in this style. Some make people suffer for about ten minutes before giving them a ten-minute break and then starting over. These are the ones that are generally used by T&I."

"And some…?" I wanted her to pick up the pace, to tell me exactly what the hell it was all about.

"Some are just slow poisons, the intensity of the pain increases minute by minute until it becomes unbearable. Usually the victim commits suicide to end the pain or dies because the poison has reached the heart."

My face became white as a sheet. Damn it! Is that what happened to Owl?!

"There is a lot of this kind of poison, but with different effects. Our village knows some of them." She frowned. "Are you sure you want to use poisons?"

I tried to curb my annoyance, because, I just wanted her to answer my questions; not to be concerned by how I felt! I smiled lightly, waving my hand. "Yes, yes. Don't worry. And the antidote? Is there a time limit before injecting it? A daily dose or...?"

She looked at me pensively. Shit, had I betrayed myself? The muscles in my legs tightened as I forced myself to breathe steadily, to regain control of my facial muscles. Trying to smile a bit. To look perfectly fine. _I really need to train my undercover skills._

"You've got interesting questions!" she said with a smile as I relaxed imperceptibly. False alarm. "Shame being a medic-nin is not your thing! As for your question, it depends on the poison. The most hardcore one needs a daily dose - the T&I one-. The other only need a syringe full of the antidote, even two and at least one week's rest with a balanced and nutritious meal. The patient will surely be exhausted and bedridden, but at least they are alive. It is the internal after-effects that can be worrisome."

"Internal after-effects?" Holy shit!

"Some organs can be damaged if the poison has been in the body for too long. If the poison has reached the lungs, for example, the patient may have breathing problems for the rest of their life."

I suddenly thought of the preliminary round examiner. He was coughing quite often, I even wondered how he could still be a ninja.

"So…. their lives are no longer in danger?"

"If the antidote was administered correctly and they are not dead within two hours, yes, they are safe."

She recommended some books about poison for beginners that I could find in the library, in the genin section. Since I had been a genin for some time, I was allowed to take some slightly more advanced books as well.

It was only after I thanked her for her help, coming out of the hospital, that I allowed myself to take a deep breath.

I had to check that Owl was okay. But before that, I was going to have to ask Gai-sensei something.

I had planned to have a long day today and go see Kaoru, but in the end, I had to put it off until tomorrow. I would find time to visit him and he must be busy anyway.

But before that, I decided to visit the flower shop. Then, I would to the library.

.

.

.

.

Ultimately, I decided to visit Owl first rather than Gai-sensei.

Nervousness seized my throat as soon as I stepped inside my apartment.

Damn. Did I do the right thing buying him those flowers? Was he going to take it the wrong way? Would he think I pitied him? I don't know! Damn it. Such a headache. He was the shinobi the most ...the most shinobi I've ever seen in my entire life. He didn't seem to feel anything. He only spoke when necessary and...and I literally learned nothing. It was frustrating. He was so good at hiding his emotions, I had never seen that in anyone.

And I was surrounded by ninjas. Which said a lot.

A knot formed in my belly, hard and heavy, almost preventing me from breathing.

I put the poison books I had borrowed on my bedside table before I went to see Owl.

He was still asleep - thank God, I didn't need to show him the flowers- which was consistent with what the nurse had told me. Lots of rest and a balanced meal. I winced as I thought about the noodles I had given him. I had to think about a cooking routine for him.

I placed the flowers in a jar on the kitchen table.

Then I walked quietly towards him, observing the Fuin I had placed around him. I was hesitating to remove it. If he was in danger, he clearly could not escape. He was already weak and could not defend himself properly.

I took a good thirty minutes to review all my protective measures, adding traps that I cleverly concealed, while placing Fuins of movement all over the room, Fuins that I had personally imagined. They weren't perfect, but they would do the trick.

I also took the opportunity to put away my Fuin boxes and scrolls, remembering Owl's remark. If someone broke into my house, it was obvious that they would be looking for any trace of a Fuin trap. Clearly, it was like a sign that said "watch out, the owner of this apartment uses Fuin!".

I cringed.

I would so much like to examine Owl, see if anything was wrong. But apart from getting strangled, there wasn't much I could do. I still observed his breathing. Calm and steady. No apparent problem with his lungs.

He hadn't vomited the noodles either. Good sign.

He didn't seem to be in any pain either. Maybe I could conclude that everything was going well for him and that he was just recovering from his poisoning.

After one last look, I left my apartment and headed for the training ground outside Konoha, where Gai-sensei often went. It wasn't too far from the village either and you just had to go out the other side and not through the main gate. The headband was enough to let the guards there let us pass through.

Not wasting a minute, I started running at full speed. Gai-sensei's inhumane training made us gain in stamina. During the chûnin exams, in the Forest of Death, we were able to run for a while without taking a break. Of course, we had avoided doing that too much. The goal was not to exhaust ourselves but to get to the tower safely and with the scrolls. There were ninjas that we had to fight, it was useless, even stupid to tire ourselves out like that.

I reached the training field after about fifteen minutes of running at full speed.I saw Gai-sensei from afar, climbing the mountain, one hand folded behind his back, the other clinging to the rocks. His green jumpsuit could be seen from here. _Yet he was succeeding in all his missions._ It was something I would never understand. But I guess it was the equivalent of having long hair for Gai-sensei. Ninjas with powerful skills could afford to have long hair, like the Shodai or the Yamanaka for example. It was a style they gave themselves, I suppose.

"Gai-sensei!" I yelled, putting my hands in a cup around my mouth.

He emerged in front of me the next second. His speed was as impressive as ever.

"What a pleasure to see you today Tenten! Do you want to train with me?!"

I couldn't help but smile. I had strangely missed him even though I had seen him yesterday.

"Maybe an hour," I replied, surprising myself. I hadn't planned to train with him today, but I needed to blow off some steam. "And maybe now?" I added. Because I could ask him later for some other Fuinjutsu's books. "Lee still hasn't woken up."

Gai-sensei's face suddenly became serious, his dark brown eyes taking on an even darker hue. "I know. But Lee is strong, and he will recover and come back stronger than ever."

My heart tightened and I smiled, a warm feeling in my stomach. I loved my team. "Yes. I have no doubts. I would like to work on my Taijutsu sensei...and floor techniques," I said after a few seconds of hesitation.

His eyes glowed and his body vibrated with energy as his voice burst around us. "What enthusiasm, Tenten!"

He then attacked me without delay. I was expecting it. Gai-sensei never wasted any time.

This time I gave it my all. I was envisioning Owl, how he had been able to put me on the ground even though he was injured. His level is just... _impressive_. If someone had managed to poison him...it _stank._ It didn't smell good. I wouldn't even last _a second_ in front of that opponent.

Fortunately, Gai-sensei was also a _monster._

I narrowly avoided his punch, retaliating with a backhand kick, leaving him no time to retaliate. I had to find a way to fight opponents stronger than me and finish the fight quickly, even with unequal weapons. I didn't yet have the level to beat anyone of Owl's level or even higher or _lower_ in a one-on-one fight.

For now, I must have or at least _try_ to have a steady rhythm and not get tired too quickly, while remaining attentive to everything. If the person who had hurt Owl was still using their poison...I shouldn't, MUSTNT, let them touch me, _brush_ me _once_.

This meant that I had to end the fight as _quickly_ as possible. If it wasn't possible, the only other option was to escape.

Gai-sensei was extremely strong and he didn't go all the way with me either. I was still having trouble keeping up with the pace I had set for myself. My punch was thwarted, my kick was deflected and I had to spin in the air so I wouldn't crash to the ground.

"Keep going on Tenten! Strengthened a bit your stance!" he yelled before hitting me straight on my plexus solar, hands flat. I flew backwards with a sharp and short cry before braking and rolling on myself. I didn't waste a second and pounced on him. I refused to use my weapons, I have to stay focused on Taïjutsu. If they managed to disarm me, I must be able to retaliate and to hold my own against them. Who? I didn't know... _yet_. I didn't know. Maybe I would never encounter them. Maybe I was wrong since the beginning. But my guts were telling me that there was something _big._

Soon, Gai-sensei managed to get me down on the ground, while congratulating me for my energy and concentration.

He was on top of me, me on my back. The position was difficult for me but I didn't intend to settle for it.

I tried to grab him by the collar and regain the upper hand. Tried to wrap my leg around the joint of his to turn him over on his back. Except it was difficult. He was much stronger than me, much harder than me.

And it was then, at that very moment, that I remembered Owl's words.

" _You shouldn't walk around like that in front of a man."_

I didn't know why but I felt like the sky was falling on my head, just like at the hospital earlier. My belly twisted brutally and I felt like I _understood_ something.

I couldn't understand why my limbs didn't want to move.

_Move Tenten!_

But I couldn't. I was paralyzed. I felt helpless in a way I'd never felt before.

Gai-sensei immediately noticed that something was wrong and stopped.

"Tenten?"

I could only look at him, shocked. I was just...staring, not really seeing him. My ears were buzzing and my vision was going slowly blurry. The world had become mute and I could only focus on _one_ thing, this thing that I didn't understand very well, this terrible thing that was wrong, that was freezing me in a prey's stillness.

What if one day I was in a _real situation_ , something like this? I would be completely fucked up. I didn't like that feeling, that almost _suffocating_ sensation. I didn't like the fact that I froze. Not even fighting. Doing nothing. Being afraid of something I didn't know.

Was this ever going to happen to me? Against someone much stronger? What was the purpose? My breathing became faster and I had to force myself to regain control of myself.

Gai-sensei let go of me and knelt down in front of me as I sat down with my mouth sealed.

"Tenten? What's up?"

Somewhere in the corner of my head, I had the fleeting thought that I hadn't seen him so serious since Lee had had all his bones broken by Sabaku no Gaara.

I knew I had to answer, but I felt unable to do so. To this day, I also had no logical explanation to give him. I only partially understood my reaction and what was implied behind it.

_PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER._

As if I was on the verge of drowning and could finally get my head out of the water to breathe, I took a deep breath of air, my rib cage almost doubling in size.

I blinked before shaking my head, I was stabilized but my hands were still shaking.

"Can we stop training?" I said in what I hoped was a neutral voice.

He frowned, studying me thoroughly.

"Tenten? What's going on here? Are you not feeling well?"

"I'm just dizzy...I'd rather go rest. I didn't eat this morning," I lied. "And I think I'm still weak after my fight against the Suna chick. Yesterday's training was too much for me."

I stood up, trying to smile without it seeming like a hideous grimace. A total fail.

"Right...if you need anything, you can find me here or in my apartment."

I nodded, trying to not avoid his gaze. "Thank you sensei. Can you please get me more advanced Fuinjutsu books? Anything will suit me."

As I was about to leave, Gai-sensei called out to me in a hesitant voice. I was struggling against a wave of dissonance, against Owl's voice, against what I had just felt.

Clenching my teeth, I did my best not to appear annoyed. I just wanted to be left alone to deal with my emotions in peace. "Yes?"

"I know you're not feeling well, but I've got a bento with me and I'd like you to eat it and take a stroll with me. I'm sure it will make you feel better! The spirit of the youth never ceases to burn in you!" he shouted, fist clenched.

"Gai-sensei…"

He put his hand against my shoulder. "I don't feel comfortable letting you go like this," he said in a softer voice, his eyes straight. "I don't want to force you into anything, but I'd like to at least make sure you get better. I am your sensei."

His words were like warm arms. The brambles that used to clog my chest didn't hurt as much anymore. Yet, I still didn't know how to react. I didn't know what to say to him.

I just nodded. I wasn't the fight-or-flee type. Most of the time I handled things by pretending everything was fine.

Still, I had never felt worse, not since my fight.

"Yoooosh! Wait for me here!"

One blink later and he disappeared from my sight. _What an incredible speed_. I've never seen anyone as fast as Gai-sensei until now.

Sighing, I gently rubbed my face with the palm of my hand. I vaguely wondered what Neji was doing right now.

I knew he had a busy schedule. He would train a few days with his clan, then a few days with us, alternating back and forth.

I honestly didn't feel fit enough to help him right now.

He came back in front of me, handing me his bento.

"Sensei…"

"I'm not hungry! I'll eat when I get home!"

Not insisting, even though I hated being offered food, I took the bento, thanking him with a nod.

"I suggest you come to the top of the rock! We'll have a good view!"

He caught me instantly under his elbow. I was so surprised that I let out a scream. A second later, I found myself at the top of the mountain.

"I too would like to fine-tune my Shunshin," I thoughtfully said, even though I knew full well that it was Gai-sensei's own speed and not his Shunshin.

"There was a ninja known for his speed. A very powerful one."

I looked up at Gai-sensei. "Are you talking about the Fourth Hokage?"

I might not have seen it before. But I was in a peculiar state. I felt lost, but with heightened senses at the same time. I noticed the smallest detail as if my entire body had woken up because of deadly danger.

A quick but intense glimmer passed through Gai-sensei's eyes. His face closed for a few brief moments. Yet, his voice betrayed nothing, remaining powerful and cheerful. "No, even though indeed, the Fourth is known for its great speed and incredible strength!"

"Who are you talking about, then?" Because he was clearly talking about a dead ninja. I might have suggested Hatake Kakashi, his rival, or Gai-sensei himself. Maybe the duo Shiranui Genma and Namiashi Raidô.

A powerful ninja knew for his speed, other than the Fourth Hokage? Someone I had never heard about? THAT was intriguing and _weird._ Powerful ninjas were the pride of the villages. Civilians and ninjas alike not knowing about them was more than a little shocking.

"Uchiha Shisui, a very powerful ninja, known as Shunshin-no-Shisui."

That made me pause. The Uchiha clan. This clan had been completely slaughtered. It was so horrible that even the civilians knew about it when something like that should have been kept confidential. I frowned.

Weird.

"He basically just used Shunshin to be faster?"

"More than that, he became a master of it. He was so fast that he left after mirages."

I hiccuped. "After mirages?!"

"Pretty amazing!"

"Indeed," I said in a low voice. "Indeed…"

That was quite ingenious...I have never thought of using shunshin in this way. I wonder how he had been able to do that. On the paper, it looked easy. I knew how to use shunshin and it was pretty convenient. But to be so fast that it created after mirages?

That was a whole new level.

I will definitely imitate him. No way would I let such opportunity slip through my fingers.

"I think I will try to master it."

"And that's what I wanted!"

His smile was huge. I understood that he was trying to distract me by giving me a goal.

Tears came to my eyes, but I fluttered my eyelids, pushing them away. The chilling memory of what I had felt earlier was still fresh in my mind, tingling in the corner of my psyche, a ghost with hard and cruel hands, clutching my neck, threatening to take my breath away.

But it was getting better. I didn't understand everything and I didn't want to understand. I took a deep breath.

"Thank you, sensei."

Anger was slowly building up in a corner of my mind but I didn't pay attention to it for now.

And it was enough.

.

.

.

.

When I got home, it was almost dark. The day had really gone by fast, I hadn't even noticed it.

What a day.

I vaguely wondered if Owl was awake. The anger slowly crawled to the surface of my mind, making me red with fury, the flames of anger burning my heart.

I almost wanted him out of my house now. I was angry. If he hadn't made that weird remark, I never would have reacted that way. I would still be normal, I would still function the same way. I would have light thoughts, my quiet little life would have been the same.

Gai-sensei's companionship had calmed me down, but I couldn't stop these negative feelings from rising to the surface. I clenched my jaw, hard. Why had he decided to come to me?I didn't need that. My life was good before that. All I had to worry about was making progress as a ninja. No potentially calculating everything in case we tried to attack Owl. It wasn't my responsibility.

Argh!

He had completely disturbed me. I shivered violently when I thought back on that terrible feeling.

I was in a bad mood. I even made sure I didn't go home right away to calm down, but that only fanned even more the flames of my anger. My home was supposed to be a source of comfort, not worry. No intrusive thoughts. Absolute peace.

I almost hoped that he had left my home, that he had miraculously recovered from his poisoning, and that I could finally return to a normal life.

Needless to say that when I saw him, my first reaction was bad. Very bad. "You're still here?"

I couldn't help but make this unpleasant statement. When I was in this mood, I was very brittle. I had a bad temper when I wanted to.

His eyes shifted at me. He was sitting on the futon I gave him, leaning against the wall.

And he didn't say a damn thing. Again.

I pursed my lips, so irritated that smoke nearly came out of my nose. "Are you going to keep on playing the silence-type of guy with me? Cause it's getting fucking annoying, just so you know. It's pissing me off."

"You're upset." A cold voice, laced with not a hint of emotion.

I raised my hands to the sky, my eyes wide open. "Oh wow! You can talk! I don't have to make small talk by myself!"

His eyes probed me. "You already know that I can talk. Your remark is purposeless."

I took a step forward, furious. " _Purposeless_?! Purposeless?! Is that so?"

I was met by a very cold stare. He didn't bother to answer me this time. I narrowed my eyes, so angry that I wanted to fucking punch something.

_Fuck that shit._

"You know what? Fuck you."

He blinked. I felt that I had surprised him. Or shocked. Either way, it was a reaction and it felt fucking good. He'd messed up with my head, I wasn't going to let him get off that easy.

"Yeah, you heard me right, even though you might found it 'purposeless'" I smiled coldly, fuming. "Well, _fuck you_ and your pragmatic behavior. And fuck the seal on your tongue by the way. What a _shitty headache_ I had because of THAT shit. Fuck your armor and its high quality. _You lucky bastard_. _Fuck you_ again, because you're the cause of my anger and _blood pressure,_ asshole."

I was pacing around, not even looking at him, exhuming with rage.

"I had to go to the hospital to find out about it because I was freaking out about your _goddamn ass!_ I've never performed so badly in my life. Fuck the person who poisoned you they can go fuck themselves for all I care, if they show up in front of me, I'll put their bloody poison _where the sun doesn't shine."_

I stopped dead before I turned round to him. I walked straight _towards_ him. Standing right _in front of_ him. And throwing caution _out the window_. " _Fuck_ your cold attitude as well. Goddamn it, you're a human being, not some chair waiting to be used!" I yelled fist clenched, red in the face. "Say something! Don't you dare mess with my life and my head and still remaining this...this inhuman! Talk! Yell! Hit me! Cry! Ninjas are still human! Be HUMAN! TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON! Fuck!"

My voice boomed in my apartment. It echoed off the walls, faster and faster. At first, it was just the volume I had been speaking at. Then it was the words. They became clearer and clearer. More and more logical. And that made me feel better, somehow. A weight lifted from my shoulders, from my lungs. I took a deep breath, my body shaking. My blood went from hot to cold so quickly that a shiver shook me from head to toe.

Then I said in a quiet voice, "You _have_ to tell me what's going on. I chose to trust you because you didn't hurt me. Because you have passed the tests I gave you. True. I promised you I would as well. I keep my promises. But the result is the same: I don't know shit about you. You...just _tell_ me something. I'm involved either way. I'm fucking _involved_. The least you can do for me is giving me enough information. I'm not a moron. It's something so dangerous you didn't even go to the _Hokage._ "

I closed my mouth, without adding another word. I waited. For him to talk to me. For him to say something.

His face was even more closed than usual, not a glimmer lit up his ink-black eyes. Yet, something in him made me think of something of regret. I couldn't understand him at all, couldn't grasp him.

My hand started to twitch. Then it was my arm. I was even about to hoop, suddenly ashamed by...by my reaction. I started to feel _bad_.

He finished me off when he opened his mouth. "I'm going to leave tomorrow. I'm not quite able to move all I want now."

I didn't know why, but something in his tone broke my heart. The shame caught me by the throat. _Shit, shit, shit._

"Wh-wh-what?" I stuttered. "L-eave?"

Of course, you bloody idiot! You just had a fit like a child!

"That's what you want. And I'm leaving, that's not fair of me to put you in such situation."

"For Shodai's sake….I…."

I shut my mouth and closed my eyes, rubbing my mouth, breathing heavily. "I'm…sorry. I'm not feeling right. I... _forget_ about what I just said. I was a bitch. I'm…"

"You're coarse."

"Yeah, I guess I was. For my age."

"Age doesn't matter, people younger than you already kill people."

"I'm going for a walk. To get some fresh air, to calm down. I took it out on you, I'm sorry."

I really felt like a bitch.

I got out of my house as fast as I got in, his piercing eyes sticking in my back like the knives that I loved so much.

.

.

.

.

The street where I lived was in the commercial and civil part of Konoha. I didn't want to move near the Shinobi neighborhoods, where most of the genins lived. I feel at home here, I grew up here.

The moon was high in the sky. I had read somewhere that it could have an effect on the mood or even the chakra. It was still to be proven. I would have liked to blame it, huh. I was so ashamed of myself...it wasn't like me to lose patience in such a violent way. But who could blame me? _Who could?_ An unknown ninja who shows up at my house, poisoned, extremely dangerous, with secrets potentially more dangerous than him and who refuses to tell me anything. Who begs me not to go for help, who refuses to go to the hospital, wearing gear of a quality I had never seen before.

He had passed all my tests with flying colors and yes, that put my mind at ease and it still does. He hadn't killed me, even though he was much stronger than me. With all this argument, I could only help him, especially since he was my superior. I was just a _genin_.

If he didn't give me answers, I would never know how to _act._

I growled, putting my head between my hands. What a mess. What a _true_ mess.

I walked down the street, raging for a bit, looking at people. There are some drunkards partying and- _was that cats fighting in a corner?_ How am I supposed to calm down with so much noise?!

Growling again, I hid my chakra and used seals as well to be sure that nobody was going to bother me. It wasn't finished, but it didn't matter: It'll do the job. I was just tired from that day. Remorse gripped me by the throat, yet I felt legitimate to have had this reaction.

I was questioning my maturity at the same time.

I jumped on a building, and took a breath of fresh air on the roof, before sitting down. As I watched the streets from afar, the noise was way weaker from my position, and my mind drifted off to a seal I had been working on recently. _That_ was going to put me in a good mood.

Working some more on it would also help me forget about Owl for a time. _Andmyembarassingbehaviour._

I had developed seals - incomplete, again, I couldn't finish one- that enabled me to hear noises from far away. I took out a scroll from my pouch and started drawing the seal on it. I focused on sounds and directions and started hearing echoes from down the street.

 _There!_ A big smile stretched my lips. That was _so satisfying_.

I even recognized the voices of the people I had passed by! I tried to focus the seal on the frequencies of their voices to make them clearer. After a moment, I managed to catch full-sentences.

I even sensed a _few cats_ slipping through winding alleys.

Proud of myself, _goddamnit I did it!,_ I kept my focus and moved the location farther and farther, trying to see the limit of my seal and paying attention to the location I was moving it to. I heard faint noises, dogs barking, doors locking, faint and muffled voices. That was most likely coming out from the windows that the inhabitants have let open. I figured out that _I couldn't hear_ anything that was going on inside the houses. My reach didn't go beyond the walls and so I couldn't listen to indoor conversations.

" _Minami-saaaan! You're so cute!"_

" _Cut the crap, Yuu!"_

A couple fighting. It was so much fun that I almost missed the conversation I was picking up from the opposite district of where they were.

" _..Orochimaru-sama wants it to be different."_

I frowned. What?

_Orochimaru-sama?_

Orochimaru, as in one of the _Sannin_? The traitor who's now a _nuke-nin?_ He wanted _what_ to be different. _What the hell was that?_ And the voice seemed _familiar._

A shiver shook my body. Someone who was talking about a nuke-nin? Someone who was calling a nuke-nin _master_? A _traitor_? A heavy stone lodged on my belly.

I started to sweat because the seal and my concentration were starting to tire me out. Damn it! I feel that it was something important! Someone was talking about a traitor! It was either a ninja because I couldn't pinpoint his chakra. It was so well hidden that I knew he outclasses me by far!

I still tried to adjust my seal better, trying to hear what he was saying. I growled, frustrated, and anxious. I couldn't go to the higher authorities without stronger evidence than _someone_ talking about the nuke-nin Orochimaru. I didn't even know _who_ was talking precisely. I had no proof. And enemy ninjas were in the village, even though some areas were restricted to them and they had put seals on them to keep tracks on their positions.

I couldn't not do anything. I was a Konoha ninja. If I didn't report this, I...it was treason.

I thought about Owl again. _Shit._

I closed my eyes before I shook my head. One thing at a time. Breathing deeply, I concentrated in order to find him. And the other person. Because he was talking to someone obviously.

" _...It's going to take more organization than expected…"_

_There!_

I seldom went this way, it was a neighborhood for civilians who were richer. It was close to the Nara neighborhood.

" _...what do you think it is, a child's play?"_

As I adjusted the frequency, I took deep breaths to concentrate and make sure my chakra control didn't slip.

Litle did I knew that this walk to get some fresh air? This moment? It was a radical _turning point_ in my life.

To begin with, Owl's first appearance. It shook the foundations of my quiet, tidy life. But that was nothing, yet. Because I could have closed my eyes. I could have just forgotten about it, and went to get Gai-sensei. I didn't do it for the many reasons I had given.

What really turned my life upside down, among other things, was the conversation I had overheard. I was too damn stubborn. Maybe fate, or the writer of the story of my life just had a lousy imagination. I didn't know.

"Damn!" I cursed as I fell down. I breathed quickly and tried to regain my energy, because I couldn't let that slip through my fingers, it was bad!

I stand up, my energy mostly regained. I just had to be careful on not using too much chakra for the rest of the night.

Shit….I had to know what that was all about, something to do with Orochimaru-sama while the Chuni Exams were going on? Nope. NOPE. That REALLY couldn't be good.

Before going there, I activated back my seal to help me disguising my chakra furthermore before jumping from building to building, zigzagging so that I wouldn't have an easily spotted trajectory.

I had cut the seal to make sure I wasn't wasting my chakra and to make sure I was focusing on hiding it.

I walked down an alley surrounded by bushes, between two large buildings. Poles were scattered all over the place, frowning slightly. I couldn't sense anything. Deciding to activate the seal one last time, I focused on ALL my might on hiding my chakra, leaving the concealment seals on and turning on the distant listening seals again at the same time.

I walked slowly, looking at everwhere, careful to not make any noise. The silence that I had eagerly wanted earlier was now like monsters hiding in the dark. It stressed me out. I was alone, me, myself, and I. Alone against some people who were talking about a very dangerous nuke-nin. One of the _Sannin._

That was when I start to hear faint voices. Sucking in a breath, I was getting a little closer before hiding behind a big pole. I had to be at least three meters further away and I could hear enough so I wouldn't risk getting any closer.

My stomach dropped.

They were tall, wearing strange black spandex around the head. They were covered from head to toe.

What struck me was their uniform. They were wearing the same as Owl.

_What the hell?_

In front of him was a guy with silver hair, round glasses, shorter and wearing a ninja's outfit.

I held a gasp. I definitely saw him somewhere. I couldn't quite grasp his features because he was far away and at this point I could only see their outfit, but I was sure I had seen him somewhere.

I looked back at the person with the same uniform as Owl.

"Fine. Danzo-sama will take that into account."

The voice was sly and almost mocking. "Orochimaru-sama doesn't want any intervention on the roof that day. The timing is going to be quite fast. You must follow."

_Danzo-sama? Who the fuck was Danzo-sama? Which timing is he talking about? What roof? What the hell?_

I began to sweat, shaking. Shit. I was not going to be able to leave quietly. The seals were too taxing on my chakra right now! And I still didn't know what was happening! That was so dumb of me!

_They wear the uniform as Owl._

I stood still, frozen.

The silver-haired guy snorted, hands on his pocket. "I must now leave. And I will take care of it, don't take your bugs out. After all, Konoha is swarming with rats."

Bugs? Rats?

"You're quite perceptive."

"Ah, but that's the hazard of the job."

Something was off. Something was wrong.

I turned my eyes slowly. I could barely distinguish it, but there was a flying insect right next to me. It disappeared from my sight the next instant.

I slowly raised my head. The taller man wasn't there anymore.

His glasses shimmered under the moon and he was looking straight ahead, in my direction.

My heart stopped beating.

_I WAS GOING TO DIE._

This thought was very clear in my head.

I _ran_ the fuck away. I ran for my _life._

* * *

**_Author's note:_ **

_After months,here is chapter 2. I'm decidedly super slow and with school, it's not going to get any better. But I'm doing my best, guys!_  
  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next time! If you have any questions, don't hesitate! 


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